There are so many beauty products out there on the market promoting this or that but did you know that some of the most effective products for your beauty routine can be found right in your kitchen? I wanted to share a few of my favorite beauty tips that all come directly from the kitchen.

ICE CUBES // they can play a huge role in your skin care and beauty routine. Ice Cubes when rubbed across your face after cleansing and before applying makeup can help to reduce the appearance of larger pores. When you are rubbing them onto your face, you’ll want to do this in an upward and outward motion. They’re also a particularly effective for bad breakouts and can help to cure acne.

BAKING SODA // has been around for ages and is one of the best kept secrets in your kitchen; who would have thought it could be an integral part of your beauty routine. You can use baking soda in a mix to get whiter nails, which I wrote about a few months ago, you can also find solutions to whitening your teeth the natural way by using baking soda. There are also quite a few do it yourself face masks and hair masks that use baking soda as an ingredient because it is such a great brightening agent as well as an awesome cleanser.

SUGAR // is an awesome and gentle exfoliant. You can use sugar in do it yourself facial scrubs and body scrubs and it exfoliates the skin gently enough that you wont get such a harsh exfoliation that you would with a salt scrub or maybe something on the market with extra harsh chemicals. Just add some essential oils, olive oil and some sugar, mix it up and you’re good to go.

TEA // tea bags and tea in general are awesome additions to your routine. You can use tea bags themselves to get rid of the dark circles under your eyes and make do it yourself cooling eye pads, like I did. You can also use green tea as toner to help refresh and tighten your skin. You can also spray green tea on before applying your sun screen because green is known to have many sun protection benefits.

LEMON // is one of the greatest assets in your kitchen. Lemons have anti-fungal and antibacterial properties that make them a perfect solution to acne and blackhead. Simply run the lemon across your face in an upward and outward circular motion. You can also use lemon as a face mask with a few other ingredients like I did with my DIY Brightening Mask. Lemon juice also helps get rid of oily skin, brighten your skin tone, and even whiten your teeth.

HONEY // you can use honey in hair masks to add shine to dull hair. It can be used in facial scrubs in combination with other types of ingredients to rid you of dead skin cells. You can turn honey into a sugaring wax for hair removal as well as use it to dull scars. Honey will also help relief a bad sunburn when you dab it on.

YOGURT // this will help you if you have a bad rash or are experiencing redness. It can be mixed with honey or other ingredients to make a face mask and is said to help fight wrinkles, keep your skin firm, and more moisturized. You’ll want to make sure you are using a plain flavorless yogurt so as not to irritate the skin.

COFFEE // while the jury is still out on whether or not drinking coffee is good for you or not. One thing most dermatologists and beauty professionals can agree on is that when used as part of your beauty routine there are a few benefits. It can be used in a hair mask to add shine to otherwise dull hair, as well as soften your hair if it’s dry and damage. Coffee can also be used to fight cellulite when turned into a scrub mixed with wine and a few other key ingredients. You can make a do it yourself coffee face mask like I did, and also turn it into a scrub for exfoliating.

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL // the benefits of this baby are endless. You can use it to replace conditioner, shaving cream, moisturizers, and more. If you find that your hair is dry and brittle and damaged from products, heat, or color you can lather this on once a week and bring a bit of life back to your hair. Run out of shaving cream? Slather on some coconut oil and shave, while also moisturizing your legs and promoting less hair growth.

CHOCOLATE // saved the best for last for sure. Chocolate first got on my radar when I visited the Hershey Hotel & Spa in Hershey, Pennsylvania and was introduced to the wonderful, award winning chocolate facial. The good news is, you can do this at home by mixing it with a few of the ingredients above leaving you with smooth and refreshed skin. I will have a how to post on this, coming up soon so be on the lookout.